RocknRolla [3/5] [Amazon]

I didn’t think this was as good as the two other Guy Ritchie films I’d seen, Snatch and Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, but if you liked those two films you’ll probably like at least parts of this one.

Repo! The Genetic Opera [1/5] [Amazon]

I was surprised that I disliked this rock opera much as I did. Despite the presence of Anthony Head, I thought it was a complete mess, and the songs didn’t work for me at all. I didn’t even make it through the entire film before I gave up.

Changeling [4/5] [Amazon]

I think I would have liked this movie more if it was a bit shorter, but a fine performance from Angelina Jolie, a good screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski, and Jeffrey “Burn Notice” Donovan as one of the bad guys, were still enough to make me like this period piece a lot.

This story within a story had absolutely astonishing cinematography, but I wasn’t at all fond of the actress chosen to play the little girl, and I thought the whole thing fell apart during the last quarter of the film. It’s still worth seeing though, just for the images that director Tarsem Singh puts on the screen.

The Duchess [3.5/5] [Amazon]

Both Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley give good performances in this story the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, but for me the whole thing didn’t do much to rise above what felt like a too familiar style of costume drama.

Appaloosa [4.5/5] [Amazon]

Based on a novel by Robert Parker, this old-school Western has great dialogue, fine performances (especially from Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen) and lots of atmosphere. Highly recommended.

WALL-E [5/5] [Amazon]

Wow. This brilliant film from Pixar completely lived up to all of the hype, and is definitely more than just another animated feature. The script hits just the right note almost every time, the overall story is great, and the CG animation is astoundingly good. Very highly recommended.

War, Inc. [2/5] [Amazon]

This was a mess. John Cusack plays a character who is remarkably similar to Martin Blank from the movie Gross Pointe Blank, which might have been a good thing with a better script, but War, Inc. has none of the charm that made that movie so great. Instead, it’s hamfisted in it’s attempts at parody and lacks very many moments that are actually amusing. It does, however, have Hillary Duff playing an evil version of her usual characters.

The Visitor [5/5] [Amazon]

An excellent film with a brilliant performance from Richard Jenkins (who should have won the Best Actor Oscar for his work) and great supporting efforts by Haaz Sleiman and Hiam Abbass. Very highly recommended.

Get Smart [3.5/5] [Amazon]

Steve Carell was the perfect choice to play Maxwell Smart, and even if the movie is a bit uneven, there are still plenty of laughs to be had.

Oldboy [4.5/5] [Amazon]

An intense and powerful thriller that has to be seen to be believed. There’s an American remake in the works, which will most likely dumb everything down and completely miss the point, so be sure to see the original Korean version.

The Spiderwick Chronicles [3/5] [Amazon]

Some of the issues with this movie were probably caused by trying to stuff a series of books into one film, but even beyond that, the whole effort just felt rather flat.

Kung Fu Panda [4/5] [Amazon]

A very fun movie with great voice acting.

Wanted [3.5/5] [Amazon]

This one definitely shouldn’t be taken too seriously, but the stunts and CGI made for some great visuals.

City of God [3/5] [Amazon]

I didn’t find this movie to be nearly as compelling as I’d expected it to be, given it’s many awards and stellar reviews. It’s not a bad film by any means, but it just didn’t work for me.

Burn After Reading [3/5] [Amazon]

The first half of this Coen Brothers film is a slow (and sometimes annoying) set-up for a great second half, so you can safely call it a mixed effort, despite the ridiculously high level of acting talent involved.

I wasn’t as impressed with this as I’d expected to be, but it’s still worth seeing if you’re a fan of the heist sub-genre.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou [4/5] [Amazon]

This was my first Wes Anderson film, and it was weird and wonderful much of the time, but there were some dull patches. I don’t know if I’d have liked it nearly as much without Bill Murray in the starring role.

Redbelt [4.5/5] [Amazon]

I thought this was great, thanks to Mamet’s dialogue driving things forward and an excellent performance by Chiwetel Ejiofor. It might look like just another martial arts movie, but it’s much more than that.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day [4/5] [Amazon]

Fun and light, with fine performances by both Frances McDormand and Amy Adams.

Snow Angels [2/5] [Amazon]

I thought this was a slow-moving mess of a movie, and while the chemistry between Arthur and Lila was intriguing, it wasn’t enough to save this one.

I Am Legend [2/5] [Amazon]

Another remake that never needed to be made, this falls apart more and more as it goes along.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall [3.5/5] [Amazon]

Hilarious, with good work by pretty much the entire cast, but there were a few bits that managed to be crude without being funny (as opposed to the ones that were both).

Hamlet: Special Edition [4.5/5] [Amazon]

It’s the entire text of Hamlet performed by a host of great actors and actresses, including Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, Jack Lemmon, Brian Blessed and more, and it’s definitely worth the four hours it takes to watch.

The basic premise of My Name is Bruce is that a desperate small town called Gold Lick kidnaps B-movie actor Bruce Campbell to save it from Guan-Di, the angry Chinese god of war (and protector of bean curd). As one might imagine, hilarity ensues, as the movie (directed by Bruce himself) pokes fun at both the actor and B-movies. This is not a piece of high cinema, but it’s a lot of cheesy fun, especially if you’re a Bruce Campbell fan.

The main reason I was there wasn’t the movie though (which I would have otherwise waited to see on DVD), it was the chance to see Bruce himself in person. I wasn’t disappointed. Bruce was funny and sarcastic as he answered questions about the movie and his career, with the occasional cutting retort for those in the audience who were trying to be witty at his expense. He was also appropriately horrified at the young women who had drawn pictures of him riding a unicorn. Yikes. It was a sold out show, and I think everyone went away happy, except maybe those people who apparently thought Bruce would be doing signings in addition to three Q&A sessions every night.

Bruce is heading down toward the Mid-Atlantic states next, then taking a swing through the upper Midwest before hitting the West Coast (full calender here). If you’re a Bruce Campbell fan, buy your tickets in advance and go see him! You’ll be glad you did.

Mostly Martha [4/5] [Amazon]

Bella Martha (the original German title) may not be a perfect film, but a very strong performance by Martina Gedeck makes this story of a chef forced to face an entirely different aspect of life very worth seeing. The cooking bits are pretty good too.

Control [2/5] [Amazon]

Even if you’re a Joy Division fan (which I definitely am) you’re likely to find this version of the rise and fall of Ian Curtis to be dull far too much of the time. The performance sequences, though well done, aren’t enough to save it.

In Bruges [4.5/5] [Amazon]

This dark comedy gets really dark, but it’s still an amazing piece of work, with stand-out performances by both Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Highly recommended.

Sweeney Todd [2/5] [Amazon]

I liked Johnny Depp’s singing well enough, but I overall found this movie to be a bit too drab for me, despite the gallons of blood that were sprayed around. I found myself enjoying it less and less as it went along.

Atonement [2/5] [Amazon]

It starts off well, but then goes entirely in the tank. The scenes in Dunkirk struck me as especially pointless, and I found the ending to be completely unsatisfying (even if it was true to McEwan’s novel).

Penelope [4/5] [Amazon]

A sweet and enjoyable fairy tale, with a nice performance by Christina Ricci.

Gone Baby Gone [4/5] [Amazon]

This was a really impressive piece of work by first-time director Ben Affleck, with an excellent performance by his brother Casey in the lead role and strong supporting efforts from Ed Harris, John Ashton and Morgan Freeman. It’s a movie that asks some tough questions about doing the wrong thing for the right reasons (or the right thing for the wrong ones).

Death at a Funeral [4/5] [Amazon]

Not as funny as it might have been, but Alan Tudyk‘s performance makes this one very worth seeing. He’s hilarious.

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian [2.5/5] [Amazon]

I’ve never actually read the Narnia books, so I can’t comment on how accurately this adaptation portrayed the events of the novel (though I’ve been told there are plenty of things that were changed). As a straight fantasy movie though, I didn’t find Prince Caspian to be very impressive, and I certainly didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the first installment.

Grace is Gone [3/5] [Amazon]

It’s a good premise, and John Cusack and the young Shélan O’Keefe both give great performances, but I don’t think the movie worked very well overall. It started off strong, but then faded.

This is a slow movie, but if you know that going in then you can take the time to appreciate what a fine piece of filmmaking it is. From the atmospheric cinematography, to the excellent performances by both Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt, to the perfect score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, I thought this was a brilliant film. Maybe some of the bits in the middle could have been edited to help the pacing there, but overall it was just great. I may even have to pick this up for myself on DVD.

The Red Violin [3/5] [Amazon]

I liked the basic premise of the movie, but I didn’t at all appreciate the structure used to tell the story. Still, there are some fine performances and some excellent violin playing.

Juno [5/5] [Amazon]

Diablo Cody’s sharp writing is what makes this movie, and the great acting, especially by Ellen Page, works to make that writing come alive. This one is a definite winner.

There Will Be Blood [4/5] [Amazon]

As was the case with Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland, I thought the performance by the lead actor in this movie was absolutely brilliant, but I was less in love with the film itself. I found it to be uneven, and thought it fell apart to some extent toward the end. Daniel Day-Lewis’ acting still makes it worth seeing though.

I found the film adaptations of both Sense and Sensibility and Emma to be charming enough, but this account of the life of Jane Austen herself was just tedious.

His Girl Friday [4/5] [Amazon]

Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell trading great dialogue make this classic screwball comedy a must-see, even if the DVD transfer definitely left something to be desired.

No Country for Old Men [5/5] [Amazon]

Wow. This was just amazing, and in my opinion it more than deserved all four of its Oscars. It’s an astonishing piece of work, with a feel that’s all its own, and an ending that was perfectly suited to the rest of the film. I also think it may have been the first time that Tommy Lee Jones gave a performance I actually liked. See it!

Enchanted [4/5] [Amazon]

While Enchanted was gently poking fun at Disney fairy tales it was a lot of fun, and Amy Adams was excellent in the starring role. Then toward the end the movie began to take itself too seriously, which made it less fun. I also didn’t find Patrick Dempsey to be the best choice for the love interest/straight man. Overall though, it’s a good time.

At times things didn’t flow along as smoothly as they might have, but there was lots of good banter, and a cast that featured Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart, so it’s a classic that’s worth seeing.

Paris, Je T’aime [4/5] [Amazon]

A collection of 18 short films (you can read a brief summary of each one here) set in different parts of Paris, each done by a different director. My favorite segment was Place des fêtes, directed by Oliver Schmitz, about a dying Nigerian man and a young paramedic. I also liked Père-Lachaise, directed by Wes Craven, Quais de Seine, directed by Gurinder Chadha, Tuileries, directed by the Coen Brothers, and Faubourg Saint-Denis, directed by Tom Tykwer. As for the rest, most were fine, though by the end of the movie they’d sort of blended together in my mind, and I actively disliked both 14e arrondissement, directed by Alexander Payne, and Quartier de la Madeleine, directed by Vincenzo Natali. Overall, I’d say it’s definitely good. Just don’t go into it expecting to be blown away by each and every segment.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age [3/5] [Amazon ]

Cate Blanchett gives a strong performance in this sequel to the first Elizabeth, but other than that (and the presence of Geoffrey Rush as Sir Francis Walsingham), this was a mess of a movie that just totally went mad toward the end (and not in a good way). My advice to the film’s makers? More ruling of England, less boyfriend.

Michael Clayton [5/5] [Amazon]

In a year that didn’t feature so many other strong films, this probably would have ended up with more Oscars than just the one for Best Supporting Actress. It’s an excellent piece of work, and a smart legal thriller that proves that the genre doesn’t need to be restricted to endless John Grisham retreads. There are great performances by George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton, a story with plenty of twists, plus some nice directing. Put this one on your must-see list!